


The Puppeteer

by HelenaFox



Series: The Puppeteer [1]
Category: No Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Gen, Multi, Nobility, Other, sorcery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-08-14 09:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16490090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelenaFox/pseuds/HelenaFox
Summary: Thanks to the lovely Lise for proofreading again, you're the best! <3





	1. Year XX38: Autumn

 

“In life you’ll always lose something. When it’s a dress or a piece of jewellery, it’s sad, surely; but you can always replace it with another one of its kind. However, the one thing that people are unable to replace, the one thing you are unable to get back, is a person. When a person is gone, when they cease to be alive, they are forever gone. No matter how much you beg and pray, they cannot come back as nature does not allow it…   
However… I am here exactly to fulfil what seems impossible. I am capable to fight the laws of nature, even if it’s just for one more day. I am able to animate what has never moved, I am able to bring back what is no more. It is for this reason that I am unlike others in my field of work. You may travel across these lands for many days, many months, many years and you will find  _ no one  _ like me.”

The woman in the long maroon dress leans back in the royal blue armchair. Her long dress reaches her ankles, and it has a slit on it right side which starts at her upper thigh. Her right leg, completely bare, rests on top of her left one as she looks at the half-crying couple sitting in front of her.

“So that is exactly why, if you want to see your son again, you should choose me as the ‘doctor’ for your boy.”

The other woman sitting opposite of the ‘doctor’ has red, swollen eyes while the man sitting next to her is looking distressed and desperate. The same man is also holding a small body, the corpse of a young boy. It’s barely bigger than the man’s shoulder width, and it’s almost white in colour with a blue-like hue covering it. The woman with eyes red from crying asks sobbingly:

“Mi-missus… Daemonne, a-are you sure that you can bring him back?”

The lone woman smirks and stands up, then walks towards the small corpse. She caresses the check of the lifeless body and bends down to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Such a small and fresh body… I can bring him back for one week. After that you will have to bury him properly. Otherwise the dead will never find peace.”

She takes the body from the arms of the man who reluctantly complies and gives his son up to the mysterious woman. She exclaims:

“Do not doubt me! For I; Maerwynn Daemonne, bringer of life, conjurer of death, emperor of light, will give you back your most precious treasure! However…”

She stops talking instantly. She breathes in and out and looks menacingly at the couple, whose expressions look even more fearful than before.

“… this is all for a certain price of course.”

The mother of the child jumps out of her chair.

“Ho-how much? We may not be well-off, but we will do anything to see our little boy just once again!”

Missus Daemonne walks towards the back of the room and delicately lays the boy’s dead body on top of the dark Byzantium coloured sheets of the bed. She turns towards the couple with a big grin on her face.

“Well, how much do you have?”

The man quickly pulls out a brown leather pouch from his coat as he throws it onto the nearby table.

“It’s thirty-five silver pieces total, it’s all we currently have.”

Missus Daemonne looks pleased as she goes over and picks up the pouch. She opens it and counts every single piece. She then puts it back on the table from where she picked it up and crosses her arms.

“I’ll do it. Come back tomorrow and you’ll get one week, after that his time will be over forever. He won’t know that he has been dead, so keep it quiet please. I don’t want any children at my door begging to live ‘just one more day’.”

The couple looks shocked, but they nod at each other and take their leave.

 

Now, all alone in the large wood cabin in the middle of the woods stands one woman next to the corpse of a small, young boy. She strokes his cold, white cheek as she sighs.

“Oh… poor thing. You had such a bright future ahead of you… Your parents sure did love you huh? Don’t worry, I’ll make you see them again.”

She says to herself. She picks up the boy and holds him like you would hold a small child; his head resting on her shoulder as she supports him from his bottom. 

“You’re so light my dear… you probably died from an illness, losing all your body fat in the process.”

She walks around the cabin while talking to the boy and then goes and lies down on her bed, the boy resting on top of her. His head rests on her chest so her heartbeat can penetrate his eardrums.

“Let’s go to sleep, okay?”

As her hands rest on his back, a faint red light emerges from the palm of her hands, and slowly but surely the light starts spreading to his entire body, even though she has already fallen asleep. When the light touches a part of the body, the pale skin turns into a rosier, peach-like colour. When it reaches his stomach a sound emerges from it, as if to show that it’s working again. The light spreads even more and it reaches his hands, his fingers move a bit, they hold onto the dress of the woman. The warm glow reaches his heart, which slowly but steadily starts beating again, a bit faster every second. The light expands even  more and reaches his lungs, and the boy starts breathing again, his chest going up and down with every deep breath. When it finally engulfs him whole, he opens his eyes widely once; his pupils as dilated as could be and his muscle stiff as a wooden plank. But after that brief moment he closes his eyes again, his muscles relax and he falls into a deep sleep from the exhaustion of channeling up so much energy at once. Time seems to pass in an instant after that, the calm breathing of the two people that is almost in sync filling up the otherwise deadly silent room. When the first orange-hued rays of sunshine peek through underneath the curtains of the cabin, the woman immediately but slowly opens her dark grey eyes. She looks at the boy that lays on top of her and feels the movement of his chest, his breathing. The doctor is yet again successful, and knowing this she grins. She lifts one of her hands of his back and strokes the dark-blond, lightly curled head of hair. He moves his head a bit and he makes a nasally soft noise. She sits herself upright, holding the boy in the process, and lays him down on the bed as she kneels next to him. She strokes his hair again while she whispers.

“Wake up little one, your parents will be arriving soon.”

The boy moves his arms and rubs his eyes after which he opens them and looks straight at the women kneeling next to him. He has beautiful fern green eyes that remind her of the plants and berries she often goes to pick in the wide forest that surrounds the back side of the cabin. He slowly opens his eyes and says with a soft voice:

“W-where am I? Who are you? I-I have to get home quickly, my parents-”

She puts a finger on the boys mouth as to make him quiet.

“Be silent little one, for I saved you. Your parents will be arriving soon, but until then you must help me.”

He sits upright and looks at the woman with confusion.

“You saved me?”

“Yes I indeed did. Do you remember anything from before waking up?”

He looks down at his feet that dangle off the side of the bed and places his hands on his knees.

“M-my family was in famine. I was so hungry, so I went outside and into the nearby forest to look for some berries and fruits, but I fell and got stuck under the root of a tree, and then…”

“Then what, little one?”

“I-I don’t remember, did you release me from the root?”

“Yes, I did indeed do that, I brought you to here and treated your wounds. I’ve already sent a letter to your parents, so they must be arriving here soon to pick you up.”

He looks at the doctor with glistening, thankful eyes.

“Thank you so much ma’am, your kindness will not be forgotten.”

She smiles and pats the boy on his knee.

“Would you like to have some bread? You must be hungry. After you can help me with my animals.”

 

He nods with a smile on his pale, rosy-cheeked face. She hands him a piece of bread which he hastily eats before going outside. Her dress drags along the grass as they head to the stables that are connected to the woman’s cabin. The woman opens the first stall gate and before the two stands a black horse. A magnificent one at that; way taller than the doctor, a strong and muscled build and with beautiful long black hair. Its black eyes stare at the woman as she stares right back at it.

“Little one, could you get me two carrots from the last door on the right?”

She points at a door at the end of the hallway, past the other stalls. He immediately fulfills her request by running off to the back of the hallway and hastily entering the door. Meanwhile she grabs a bucket next to the gate and walks towards that same door as well. When she walks inside, to her surprise the boy is standing above the chest filled with carrots, holding two in his hand while staring at the leftover content.

“Is it interesting?”

The woman asks him. Startled he turns around and apologizes.

“I’m so terribly sorry for slacking ma’am. I’ve just never seen so much food at once.”

She chuckles and walks toward the chest next to it. She opens it and fills the bucket with the mix of grains that’s inside. The boy looks amazed at the bucket she’s holding.

“Little one, would you like a carrot?”

He shakes his head no.

“I’m full ma’am, thank you. I was just thinking that my parents could really use them… all I wish for is that my parents are happy.”

She walks out the room with the boy following her, the horse hasn’t moved from its place and looks towards the two walking towards him.

“Tell me, little one, what is your name?”

“Arnette, ma’am. Can I ask for yours as well?”

“You may call me missus Daemonne, and this fella here is Silas, my great stallion.”

She pats the neck of the horse firmly and goes into his stall to fill his feeding tray with grains. The boy looks mesmerized at the horse, fascinated by its midnight-black fur and wavy hair. The beast takes a step forward and bends his head down to sniff the boy. The boy stiffens in surprise and holds the carrots close to his chest.

“Don’t worry, he’s just sniffing you, getting used to you. He has a magnificent nose, he can smell things even I can’t smell. Go ahead and pat his head, he likes that.”

The boy stretches out his short arm to the horse’s head and pats it gently.

“Good Silas” 

He whispers under his breath. The woman smiles at hearing the phrase.

“Go ahead and feed him the carrots, don’t be afraid, he’s kind to ones like you.”

The boy feeds him the carrots with a smile on his face. When the last carrot is fed to the animal, a voice is heard from outside.

“Doctor Daemonne? Are you home?”

The boy immediately recognizes the voice and runs out of the stable immediately.

“Mother! Mother I’m here!”

He runs and hugs the woman standing in front of the cabin’s door, then the man standing next to her. Tears flow down the woman’s cheek and even the man’s eyes begin welling up as they engage in a familial embrace.

“Oh Arnette, I’m so glad to see you again!”

She cries out while holding the little boy in her arms.

“Mother, I’m sorry for going into the forest without your permission. I just wanted to get us something to eat.”

She pats the boy’s head lovingly while sobbing out of happiness. While they embrace doctor Daemonne walks out of the stables with a basket full of carrots in her right hand.

“Mother! Missus Daemonne saved me when I got stuck under that tree root. She even gave me some bread to eat and I fed her horse carrots!”

Both his parents look at her as she puts a finger on her lips to insinuate that they must keep quiet about the truth.

“Arnette, since you helped me so well and you we’re such a good boy I’ll give you this”

She walks towards the boy and hands him the basket with carrots. All three of them look shocked. The boy says:

“Are you sure missus Daemonne? This is so much…”

She just pats his head and says:

“A good boy deserves a good meal.”

The father steps away from the mother and son and asks the doctor to accompany him. They stop when they’re out of range of the other two when the father addresses the doctor.

“What are you doing? Why are you giving us this, do you want something from us?”

She doesn’t flinch or doesn’t react shocked. Her facial expression remains the same: a blank and emotionless stare.

“Who am I to refuse the last wish of a dying young boy? I want to put his soul to rest, and if I can do that by nourishing his family for the remaining time then I will do so.”

The man scoffs and crosses his arms as he says:

“So it is only to put his soul to rest? You really are just an insane doctor. You’re no saint at all.”

The doctor answers without hesitation:

“I never claimed to be. I only do my job, sir. Nothing more and nothing less.”

He turns around and walks back to his family, the boy has a blissful look on his face. The man sighs and pats him on the head, a gentle smile on his face. They take their leave and before they disappear out of sight the boy turns and waves at the doctor while shouting happily:

“Goodbye missus Daemonne! Thank you for everything!”

She waves back as she whispers:

“Farewell little one, may your soul rest soundly.”

 

She stretches as she turns around and enters her cabin again, sighing while doing so. She sits down in her armchair as she takes a leather bound notebook that’s lying on the wooden stool standing next to her. She looks into it and reads what she has written into it.

“Mmh… 5th day of the 40th week. A full moon today. I guess Alistair will be coming today.”

She closes the notebook and places it back on the stool as she stands up. She walks outside and enters the stables again. She opens the second stall door carefully, that unlike the first stall door is a prison-like iron bar door that reaches all the way to the ceiling, so that nothing can escape. She enters the stall and closes the iron bar door behind her. From the dark back corner of the cell-like room two pairs of eyes, one red and one blue pair, stare filled with determination at the woman. She lifts her right arm in front of her as she states loudly:

“Darby! Come here now.”

The blue pair of eyes seems to light up as a gust of wind passes through the window that’s at the back and gushes open its curtains. The light that shines through the open window lights up the dark corner so the eyes’ owners become visible. Two big crows, a white and a black one, sit on a long, thick branch that’s hanging from the ceiling by two silver strings. The white one spreads its giant wings and flies towards the woman after which it lands on her arm. She lifts her other hand to pet the bird on its head as it lets a soft purr from it’s lower body. The woman lovingly talks to the bird while stroking its feathers.

“Oh my dear Darby, you may visit Alistair again! My pretty pretty bird.”

She says, after which the big black crow in the back lets out a loud angry shriek. The woman looks at the bird and puts her finger in front of her lips in a shushing motion.

“Hush Envy, you know Alistair is afraid of you. You’re still my pretty bird, don’t worry. Come here.” 

The black crow spreads its wings and flies towards the doctor, landing on her left shoulder.

“Let’s go get some food okay? Especially you Darby, you need to go spotting for royals.”

She walks out the stall and feeds the birds with grains from the storage room. Then she walks outside into the heavy autumn wind to check the weather.

“Mmh… doesn’t look like it will storm today, so no risks for flying.”

The white bird on her arm looks up at the blue sky that’s filled with white puffy clouds. She demands at him:

“Go spot Alistair, come and find me only when he exits the cave. Fly off now.”

The birds let out a screeching sound that seems to indicate that he comprehends what she said after which he spreads his magnificent large white wings and flies off instantly straight into the air before disappearing into the white clouds above. The woman and the black crow look at sky where the bird has disappeared into before walking back towards the cabin. When they enter the large wooden cabin, the black crow immediately flies off her shoulder and goes sit on a large leafless tree that stands in the corner, which seems to be grown in a certain way especially so that a large bird is able to sit there. She walks to the fairly large kitchen on her left side. It has everything she needs: an oven, a cauldron, a cutting block, a chimney, some pots and pans, cooking utensils and lots of cupboards. She opens some cupboards and checks the content of them.

“Mmh... we’re low on berries, mint leaves… perhaps we also need some more wheat as well.”

She closes all cupboards and walks towards the black crow. She pets it on its head, then gently scratches its throat.

“My dear Envy. Can you get some mushrooms from the nearby forest for me?”

She strokes its legs, strong and long with sharp claws. They’re fully capable of grabbing and carrying heavy weights for a long distance. She walks towards the door and opens it after which the black crow flies outside at lightning speed only to disappear behind the trees at the back of the cabin. The woman sighs and sits down on her bed. She takes an old sketchbook from her nightstand and grabs grabs the charcoal stick lying next to it. She opens the sketchbook to reveal tons of drawings of different kinds of humans in different positions with little notes written next to them. She flips through the pages to the last one where the close-up face of a young man is drawn with certain notes of characteristics next to it. She draws a small line under the list and writes the word: ‘Compassion’ next to it.

 

She closes the book and stands back up. She walks towards the small staircase that goes up. She ascends one floor into a small bathroom that’s barely big enough for one person but comfortable enough for her at least. The place wasn’t small just because of the lack of space, but also because every available empty spot was filled with something: a large bathtub, a sink, a toilet a small and a large mirror, hooks for towels and washing cloths. She grins as she looks around the room pleased.

“Heh, having ties really pays off after all.”

She undresses and lets the water flow inside the bathtub. She looks at her face in the small mirror above the sink, inspecting every nook and cranny of her face. Dark grey eyes, pale skin, a small nose and raven-black wavy hair that resembles that of her horse. She looks at her pallid and thin body, her blue veins visible through her almost clear skin. She mumbles to the mirror:

“I might be well-fed but my body is no different from those dying peasants.”

She closes the tap of the bath and goes inside the tub. She washes her body with the soap and washcloth that lay in a porcelain bowl on a small table next to the bathtub. She steps back out, dries her body and puts her dress back on. She look back at her reflection in the mirror, her cheeks rosy because of the warmth.  She grabs a small paintbrush that’s laying next to a small bottle filled with a dark-red lip paint. She dips it in and paints her lips with the paint that smells like berries, she grins while doing so. As she walks downstairs she hears an all too familiar screech. She quickly descends the stairs and opens the door where a black crow immediately flies through, holding some mushrooms in between its claws. He drops the mushrooms on top of the dinner table and sits down on top of on the leafless tree. Yet another screech is heard from a bit further away. She looks outside the still-open door where she can she a white dot falling out of a cloud. The dot grows bigger and it quickly becomes the recognisable large white crow Darby.

“Oh dear, right on time!”

The crow flies at towards the woman and lands gracefully on top of her left shoulder. She pets the bird on its soft feathery head as she closes the door. 

“It shouldn’t take long anymore now, let’s just wait a bit.”

She can hear a faint galloping in the distance but decides to go put away the mushrooms that Envy dropped instead. She takes the four mushrooms that he brought and walks over to one of the cabinets. She puts them inside a ceramic bowland right when she closes the cupboard again there’s a loud violent knocking at the door. The knocking is immediately followed by a loud male voice shouting:

 

“Open up Maerwynn, I know you’re there!”

She smirks and crosses her arms.

“Maerwynn? There are few who dare call me by my given name. You must have a lot of courage then kind sir.”

There’s a loud knocking yet again followed by the same loud voice shouting yet again:

“Stop with the bullshit Maerwynn and just open the damn door!”

As she turns around and walks to the door she exclaims loudly and sarcastically:

“Oh my what foul words! They must come from some peasant or something, do you kiss your wife with that mouth?”

She opens the door and before her stands a beauty of a man; tall, blonde and muscular with eyes as blue as sapphires. His jawline is sharp and his facial features are perfectly proportioned. However, his current expression makes him look less pleasant. He looks very irritated as he’s leaning against the wooden door frame and tapping his foot impatiently. He pushes the woman aside and steps inside the cabin. She turns around to face him and mocks:

“Well well, if it isn’t prince Alistair Wyesbright. I should’ve realized sooner.”

She turns back around to the door where outside a young maiden is standing, yet another beauty. Her flawlessly fair pale skin almost reflects the rays of sunshine that shine down upon her. Her curly black hair that reaches her lower back moves like it would in water because of the gusts of wind. Her eyes are like gemstones, almost like blue diamonds; clear, bright, deep and mesmerizing. Maerwynn greets the lady:

“Please come in Eleanore.”

The woman smiles and walks inside the cabin. She grabs lovingly onto Alistair’s arm as the both look at Maerwynn.

“Please sit down, both of you. Would you like some wine?”

The woman nods as they both sit down at the wooden dinner table. Maerwynn grabs a bottle of wine from one of the kitchen cupboards along with three glasses and sits herself down as well. She pours the wine elegantly into the three glasses and hands two of the glasses to Eleanore and Alistair. Alistair takes a sip and puts his glass down a bit harshly to show urgency. After a brief moment of silence he says:

“Maerwynn, let’s talk about Eleanore now… and her illness.”

He crosses his arms as he leans back in his chair.

“This should be the last weekly treatment right?”

He asks her with a serious tone in his voice. Maerwynn folds her hands and leans on the table, looking at Eleanore, then back at Alistair.

“Yes it should. After that, it should only be every 6 full moons.”

Eleanore looks relieved and so does Alistair. His serious expression changes into a softer one as he puts his hand on Eleanore’s shoulder.

“I have to say Maerwynn; although I don’t understand you, I am grateful that you do this for us- no, for Eleanore.”

Eleanore smiles a gentle smile to Maerwynn and looks lovingly at Alistair after. Even the doctor can’t resist smiling at this sight.

“Well, I just do my job. The reward I get from this job is also more than a hundredfold what I would get from a lower-class citizen. Also, Alistair, you can give me something no one else can give me, so of course I would do this for you.”

Eleonore reaches to Alistair’s hand and holds it gently. He gives her a small peck on the cheek before turning to Maerwynn again.

“Now, let’s start it… Maerwynn.”

 

He gives a soft nod to the doctor as a signal and immediately after she stands up and goes to the kitchen. She grabs a clear bottle from inside a cabinet and pours it into a glass that she fills with water. A slight fizz emerges for a second but disappears instantly after. She brings it to Eleanore after which Eleanore drinks it in just two gulps. Unsteadily she stands up and wobbles over to the bed where she sits down and faints onto the soft pillows. None of them say anything, it all seems conventional, normal almost. They look back at each other, both of their expressions turning serious in a matter of seconds. She takes a large glass bottle from under the table and puts it on the table after which she pulls a short blade from under the slit of her dress. She hands the sharp-looking short blade to Alistair after which she leans on her intertwined fingers, looking pleased. He holds the blade to his open palm as he says:

“This really is just an extra addition to the money, this is nothing to me.” 

Maerwynn rolls her eyes while sighing and pushes the glass bottle underneath his hands.

“Stop acting tough and just do it, I still need to attend to your wife.”

He brings the blade onto his palm and swiftly makes a long deep cut into his hand. He clenches his fist and squeezes out the blood into the bottle. The red fluid gushes out from in between his fist filling the bottle only a quarter up. When the blood has seemingly been drained from his hand he takes the blade in his blood-stained hand and cuts into his other palm, squeezing the blood out of this one as well which fills the bottle half up. He grabs the blade in his right hand once again and pulls up the sleeve of his left arm. By now, despite having acted brave and tough before, he’s visibly in pain. Biting his lower lip to prevent any sounds from coming out of his mouth and squinting his eyes he cuts long and deep into his left arm. The wound takes up his entire lower arm and blood almost immediately starts gushing out. He holds it above the bottle which gets filled to the brim in a matter of seconds, after which Maerwynn puts a cork into the bottle’s neck. She puts it under the table as she walks over to one of the dressers in the dining area. She takes a concoction of herbs and fluids and takes some dressing out of it and walks over to the bleeding, pale-faced prince. She pours the concoction over the wounds on his hands after which he lets out a short shriek. She carefully winds his hands in dressing. She does the same to the large wound on is arm and puts away her medical supplies after. 

“Now, you know how this goes Alistair.”

He nods and closes his eyes without hesitation. After confirming that his eyes are closed she grabs onto one of his hands. She holds them gently, carefully, almost lovingly, as if she was holding onto a child’s hand. She brings his dressing-covered hand close to her face, so close that he can feel her breathing on his fingers. A small blue light emerges from the palms of the woman which slowly seeps into the hand of the prince. As the light seeps into his hand, Alistair’s facial expression softens from a dreadful, tense one into a relaxed, calm one. When the light has fully seeped in she grabs ahold of his other hand and does the same ritual. After that she stands up out of her chair and kneels next to Alistair, laying one hand on his in dressing wrapped left arm. Them she softly takes his lower arm with both hands and brings it close to her. She can feel the blood rushing through his body, the warmth that escapes via the wound, the slow breaths on top of her head. She breathes in deep, then out. Then she breathes in deep while a blue light emerges from her hands again which quickly seeps into the wound on his arm. She breathes out and stands up as she says:

“You may open your eyes now.”

Alistair opens his eyes and looks at both his covered up hands. He turns them around and places them on his knees. While looking at he says, his voice almost shaking:

“Maerwynn, I don’t know how you do it. I know it’s not natural of course, but every time we do this still, it amazes me. This healing power of yours… it’s just breathtaking.”

She reaches and grabs her glass of wine and takes a big gulp.

“I’m a doctor, healing is what I do.”

She sits down in the chair across from Alistair as she crosses her arms.

“You can take the bandages off tomorrow, they’ll be healed by then.”

Looking at his hands still in awe he thanks Maerwynn and stands up, walking towards the door. Maerwynn follows him as she looks at the unconscious beauty on her bed, her skin pale as snow and her luscious curly hair spread on the sheets under her.

“Is your tent set up yet?”

Maerwynn ask Alistair. He opens the door to show a fully set up tent, with a young knight standing next to it. She recognized this particular knight, seeing as he was the grand commander of the prince.

“Iryad, glad to see you’re here as well.”

He bows to the doctor and delightfully tells her:

“Looking great as ever doctor Daemonne. A friend of Alistair is a friend of mine. And someone who takes care of the sick missus Sturmsgord deserves all my respect.”

The prince and doctor look at each other and chuckle. Maerwynn scoffs and exclaims:

“I do this for Eleanore, Alistair is just her annoying husband.”

The knight and Maerwynn laugh as Alistair rolls his eyes. He has become used to these kinds of jokes seeing as this has been a weekly thing for almost six months. Iryad had come along every time as well, seeing as he was the grand commander as well as Alistair’s best friend, so they were very close and were able to joke around. They had some small talk and Maerwynn was ready to retreat back into her cabin. She informs the prince:

“I’ll come and get you tomorrow when the business is done. Do not come to interrupt me, no matter the circumstances.”

The two men nod in comprehension after which she goes back and enters her home. There she sees the beautiful princess lying on her bed, slightly different than before. She walks over to her and grabs the princess’ face. She turns it to the left, then to the right, then she sighs deeply.

“Already gone, how sad.”

Eleanore’s skin is even paler than before and has gotten a greenish hue. She smells like an old linen sack and her curls don’t look as luscious as before, they look old and broken. Maerwynn lays her hand on Eleanore’s chest and quickly retreats it. She’s dead.

“Now it’s time to do my job.”

The sun is setting and the reddish rays peek through the curtains of the room. Maerwynn takes off her shoes and lifts up the dead princess in her arms. She lays her on the right side of the bed after which she goes and lays on the left side. She murmurs under her breath:

“Ah, this is disgusting. At least they pay me a lot.”

She puts her arms around the corpse and wraps one leg around hers. A shiver goes down her spine.

“You smell worse every time, my goodness.”

She breathes in, the foul smell of a dead body infiltrating her nasal cavities. She holds tight onto the body and tries to relax. Unlike the little boy from the night before, this princess needs to live on for at least six more months, not another week. Bringing people back to life takes a lot of energy from the doctor and is sure to make her extremely exhausted. She’s sleepy, but she needs to gather up energy. After a few minutes her consciousness starts fading and she falls soundly asleep. Not long after a bright red light emerges from the doctor’s palms that lay on the corpse’s skin and Maerwynn starts convulsing. First slightly, then heavily. She’s in great pain, but she doesn’t let go of the corpse. The bright light starts infiltrating the body of the princess that lays in her arms. It’s like lighting runs through her blood as the same red light starts seeping out of the pores of the doctor, lighting up the entire room. The princess gets engulfed by the red light as a sort of cocoon around her. Maerwynn grits her teeth, her heart almost pounds out of her chest and small grunts start coming out of her mouth. This goes on for seemingly the entire night; pain, agony, blood, sweat and tears get spilled while trying to bring the corpse back to life.

 

Morning finally arrives after a seemingly endless night. Maerwynn opens her eyes frantically as she sits upright almost automatically. She looks at both her palms, feels her own sweat-drenched face and looks to her side. Eleanore is laying there just like before; beautiful pale skin, luscious brown curly hair, rosy cheeks and she gives off a flowery scent that seems to be floating around her body. Maerwynn reaches out and touches Eleanore’s chest and feels a slow but steady heartbeat. She takes her hand off her and stands up out of bed. She puts on her shoes, walks upstairs, brushes her teeth and hair, puts on her red lip paint and walks downstairs again. The princess is still sleeping soundly as before, despite being in a deep sleep looking as alive as ever. The doctor sighs out of relief and walks outside only to be greeted by the sight of Alistair sitting against the side of her cabin. He looks up and greets her and they enter the cabin together. They sit down while the prince gazes at his beautiful wife laying on the bed. He buried his face in his hands as to hide his pure bliss as he murmurs:

“She’s alive, thank goodness she’s alive…”

Maerwynn coughs and looks at Alistair a bit annoyed in but in a sort of joking way.

“Oh my, did you doubt my abilities?”

He chuckled as he puts both his hands flat on the table.

“Maerwynn, despite my dislike of your methods and the kind of person you are…”

He bows his head forward until it touched the wooden table they’re sitting at.

“... I thank you for everything, and I am utmost grateful.”

Her eyes widen, her mouth falls open in shock and a gasp escapes her throat. This was something she would have never expected and definitely not from Alistair.

“A-Alistair, it’s just my job, I-I don’t need thi-“

She’s interrupted by a soft grumble coming from the princess’ direction. The both look her way as the princess sits upright and rubs her eyes. She looks at her hands, then touches her face and smiles. She turns to Maerwynn and happily says:

“Thank you so much Maerwynn! I feel so much better, I even feel more alive than ever!”

The irony if the situation makes Maerwynn need to contain her laughter. She puts on a big smile to the princess and says nonchalantly:

“I only do my job.”

The princess gets out of bed and walks towards the table, sitting herself down next to Alistair.

“You know, I think we should give you something.”

Alistair and Maerwynn both look confused at Eleanore.

“But, I already get rewarded with plenty of money, I don’t need someth-“

Mid sentence Maerwynn gets interrupted by Eleanore who explains:

“I know you get rewarded, but I want to give something like a gift, as a personal thank you.”

Alistair puts his arm around Eleanore and pulls her a bit closer, lovingly saying:

“As you wish dear, but what would you have in mind? Jewelries, a painting, a piece of land?”

She puts her thumb on her lower lip as she ponders, then as if the idea shot straight to her head, she exclaims loudly to the prince:

“What about that thing we recently found, in the burnt down city? Wouldn’t that be neat, it fits her perfectly.”

Upon hearing this Alistair displays a mix of curiousness and sorrow on his face.

“I think you might be right, she might be able to do something with it.”

Maerwynn just looks confused at the couple and asks what they’re talking about. But instead of explaining what it is they keep it a secret.

“It’s a surprise, you’ll definitely love it!”

Eleanore says happily. The couple stands up and walk towards the door, Maerwynn following them. Before they exit the cabin Alistair turns around to Maerwynn to say:

“I’ll bring it over in 7 days, make sure to open the door directly then.”

Sarcastically she answers:

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to miss my special surprise.”

A grin appears on his face, his eyes glistening with a kind of mischief almost.

“Oh, you will definitely love it. Make sure you’re there Maerwynn, getting it off of my hands will lift my burden too.”

Without saying anything more he heads over to the horse carriage and steps in together with his wife while leaving Maerwynn confused and suspicious. She closes the cabin door when she sees them leave and drinks the rest of her wine, wondering what it could be that even Alistair wants to hand to her. Something to do with magic perhaps, or something cursed. Maybe even an assistant or a knight to protect her, but she has a slight feeling it probably won’t be as alive as usual.


	2. Autumn of the Year XX38

The days seem to pass as usual. One or two regular clients a day. Maerwynn is a good doctor when it comes to healing. Her brewings of herbs and stitching of wounds are quite famous for healing the citizens of nearby towns. Most of the time, a client comes in with a wound, an infection, a swelling or pain in a certain place. She inspects the area in question, asks how the patient got it and when it first appeared. If the cause is unknown she tries to figure out how the patient could have gotten it by interrogating the patient about their behavior before they got it. When she determines what the problem is she thinks about how to treat it. Most of the time she makes a herbal concoction or creme to treat the wound or place in question. She is the area’s most well-known doctor after all. Most of her patients are regular townspeople and some nobles from time to time. Her prices are not too high and her treatment is the best there is, so even the poor can visit her.

But sometimes there are certain people that don’t want treatment like the others. They are blind or deaf or perhaps their leg is so fiercely wounded that it needs to be amputated, and that’s why they go to Maerwynn. In a more niche community she’s known for her ability to practice the mystic arts and her powerful healing abilities. This of course comes at a higher price, so mostly just knights and noblemen can afford such treatments. All of the mystical endeavors are done in secret, so only a few know about it, and even when certain people get Maerwynn to perform such acts they are restricted from seeing the procedure, which leaves lots of people questioning if she really does have a connection to the mystical arts or if she’s just a miraculous healer.  
Famous, infamous, powerful, all words that she gets described as by many. But only a few call her by a certain name, a name only few know her by and can afford to speak out loud. They call her ‘The Judge’. A few called her that name behind closed doors, because that name indicated her true power, a power that not a soul in this world could replicate. A bringer of life, a dealer of death, a puppeteer of the inanimate.

 

* * *

 

One of the people who knew about this was a certain royal, but not just any royal; the young prince of the country’s royal family. The first in line for the throne, the heir of the king, the wealthiest young man in the land. She remembers their first meeting vividly, almost like it was yesterday.

About a year ago, on a rainy summer’s day there was a knocking at Maerwynn’s door. She looked up from her notebook and stood up from her armchair. She walked to the door and opened it as thunder crashed loudly above the cabin. There stood a man, drenched by the rain, holding a seemingly female person covered by a large blanket in his arms. His head was bowed down, looking at the covered woman’s face as he silently said:

 “Please… help her.”

Maerwynn didn’t have a second thought and let the two into her cabin. The man immediately laid down the woman he was holding onto Maerwynn’s bed and caressed her cheek. He then turned to the doctor and took out a large coin pouch and threw it in front of her. He looked angry, his stance was hostile and his breathing was heavy. He then pointed at the pouch as he spoke:

“This… will this be enough?”

Maerwynn picked up the pouch and opened it to see a bunch of gold coins inside. She smiled on the inside as she walked over silently to the seemingly beautiful woman, thinking of how to treat her, as a sudden familiar smell engulfed her. A smell she was all too familiar with, a smell which has made her the person she is today, the smell of death.

“Sir, may I ask why you have laid a corpse on my bed?”

The man didn’t respond. Maerwynn turned to the man as she points at the woman, dropping the bag. As she looked at him that time she could finally see his face clearly. His wet, long, ruffled hair was stuck to his face, which let drops of rain flow down his pale, flawless skin. His jawline was strong, and his cheeks were full and slightly rosy. His eyes were deep set and contained two beautiful crystal blue gemstones of irises that pierced through even the unphasable doctor. She was taken aback by his seemingly noble beauty, and was intrigued by the way he had approached her. She gestured him to sit down and made some tea in her kitchen. She put the two cups of tea on the table after which the two sat down facing each other. When Maerwynn took her first sip the man pounded his hand on the table.

“Can you heal her or not? You are a doctor, right?”

He asked angrily, almost shouting. The doctor sighed and replied disinterested:

“Sir, this isn’t about who _I_ am or what _I_ can do. This is rather about who _you_ are and what _you_ can do for _me_.”

He ground his teeth and clenched his fists in dismay. The doctor looked at him disinterested, a blank stare on her face while her crossed legs went up and down in impatience. The man finally gave in after what seemed like an eternity:

“I...I am Prince Alistair Wyesbright. I am the son of King Cyneric and Queen Leanne Wyesbright, eldest in line of 5 children and thus the heir to the throne of Syllborough.”

It finally clicked for the doctor; the attractive noble face, the entitled attitude, the beauty of a woman he had with him. He was of high nobility, royalty even: he was of _the_ royal family of the kingdom of Syllborough. King Cyneric was known throughout the country as a strong and adored leader. He was known as an intelligent kindhearted man who led the country to greatness with a strong hand. The fact that the actual prince of the country was sitting at her table almost begging for help amused her abundantly and made her grin in delight. The desperate look on his face was priceless to the doctor who had always had a slight distaste for nobles. She leaned her head on her hands as she said:

“So… I have a royal at my table huh? My future king even. Well this is amusing.”

She took another sip of her drink and pointed lazily to the woman on her bed while she asked:

“This, is this a royal as well?”

The prince’s eyes widened in rage as he bit his lower lip. His body started shaking and he shouted angrily:

“This? _This_ ?! Eleanore is not a _this_! She is the Duchess of Howelnburg, eldest of the Sturmsgord family, future queen of these very lands. She is my wife, and she is worth at least one hundred times your measly life, you peasant!”

 

Silence filled the room and an aura of annoyance surrounded Maerwynn. She folded her hands on the table as she sighed deeply in disappointment. The prince realized the impact of his words quickly as he saw how a malicious grin formed on the doctor’s face.

“So… my Majesty, you are declaring I am a measly peasant while still begging for my help? My oh my, your conceit is greater than your title Lord Alistair. Did you forget that I am the doctor here? I think that at this moment _I_ am the judge of who is important or not.”

She stood up out of her chair and strolled calmly over to the duchess that lay on her bed and grabbed her firmly by her curly brown hair, lifting her head up as she grinned.

“This is a corpse, and if I pull any harder on her hair, her head will rip off right this instant.”

She said to the prince, who in reaction immediately stood up and unsheathed his longsword towards the doctor. She simply waved her other index finger mockingly from the left to the right.

“No, no, no, mi-lord, I don’t think you want to do that, seeing as one more step from you will end with her head on the ground without a body. Now sheathe your sword, or you will reap the consequences.”

Defeated he sheathed his sword and hesitantly bowed on one knee before the doctor, grinding his teeth while hiding his face behind his blonde hair.

“P-please… I regret my words, I apologize. So would you kindly let go of my wife’s head? I beg you.”

The doctor burst out in laughter as she let go of the hair, which made the duchess’ head fall violently on the pillow again. The prince pushed the doctor aside and wrapped his arms around the woman as he held back both anger and tears. Maerwynn sneered and turned her back on the couple.

“Fine, I’ll help you, but there are some conditions.”

She announced loud and clear to the prince who looked up to the doctor in disdain but with appreciation as well. He stood up as the doctor turned around, so the two were facing each other.

“Ask me anything, I’m prepared for the worst.”

The prince sat down at the table again and Maerwynn picked up the coin pouch from the ground. She sat down and started counting the coins in silence. When she took the last coin from the pouch and put it on one of the stacks she had made with the coins she smiled pleased.

“Well well well, with this I could afford to buy a new fancy cabin somewhere in a faraway country, but for a demand of your size this isn’t enough for me.”

The prince’s eyes widened in confusion, but desperate as he was he asked her:

“Do you need even more? I can provide you more, just let me get more-”

“No, I don’t need more gold.”

She interrupted him abruptly, smiling sinisterly. She traced the rim of her glass and licked her lips.

“What I’m really interested in, my dear prince Alistair, is your blood.”

As he processed what she demanded, Maerwynn took another sip from her drink, emptying the glass completely. Bewildered Alistair confirmed:

“My blood?”

“Yes, your blood. Royal blood is worth a lot nowadays, and it’s useful in many different ways.”

Maerwynn pushed her empty glass forward in front of the prince and leaned back in her chair, switching the way her legs were crossed and putting her thumb on her lower lip.

“If you can fill this glass with your blood, I’ll make a deal with you.”

She then exclaimed loudly. She brushed her lower lip while looking content all the while Alistair rubbed his hands nervously together. After a few seconds of thinking he looked straight at Maerwynn, then at his wife on the bed, then back at Maerwynn. He then stood up and unsheathed a dagger from behind his back, not hesitating a second as he swiftly cut deep into the palm of his hand. Blood started flowing out of the wound instantly and so he squeezed his fist, making the blood drip into the glass. When the glass was full he pushed it to Maerwynn as he said:

“Here. Now, what’s your deal?”

She smirked with satisfaction and folded her hands while leaning with her elbows on the table. She glanced at the thick, deep-red blood and looked back at Alistair again.

“Here’s the deal: resurrection is not something easy. It takes a lot of my energy, and the longer you want someone to be resurrected, the more energy it drains from me. That’s why I’m proposing a longstanding contract.”

He raised an eyebrow with both suspicion and intrigue. He tapped his fingers on the hard surface of the wooden table.  
“What… what do you mean with ‘longstanding’?”

“Well, it means longstanding obviously. I’ll revive her for now, but it’ll only last one week. So every week you’ll return to me and let me resurrect her. Then, in one year, the energy I’ll have breathed into her over the months will assemble into a new life inside of her, so she can live out her life just like before, as if nothing ever happened.”

After she had finished talking she licked her lips, ravishing in rapture as she knew he couldn’t do anything else but comply. Alistair bit his lower lip in frustration, but after a few seconds of painful silence, he exhaled deeply in defeat.

“Fine, I accept. Now, will you help her?”

Maerwynn smiled with content and nodded her head.

“Sure I will. You have my word, and a doctor’s word to their patient is worth more than a king’s promise.”

The evening had fallen by then and she explained that it would take the entire night to revive her, not disclosing the process because of ‘confidentiality’. The prince exited the house and set up camp outside. When he had entered his tent and all the light outside had disappeared she started her procedure. First she took a small glass bottle filled with a slightly pink, see-through water-like liquid inside from one of her kitchen cabinets. She poured it out over the corpse’s body and a pleasant smell started surrounding the dead body.

“There… that should take care of the smell.”

She them laid herself down next to the body and reluctantly embraced it. She gagged in disgust.

“Ugh, this _will_ take a while to get used to.”

As chills went down her spine she whispered to herself:

“Concentrate, focus your energy on her.”

She let energy flow throughout her entire body, from her fingertips to the ends of her hair. After a minute or two, she lost consciousness and the power from inside of her took over. A soft red light emerged from her hands, seeping into the corpse’s body. But it wasn’t nearly strong enough. Maerwynn started twitching, squirming as she was getting power sucked out of her by this corpse or more accurately; as her hands were sucking power from her and inserting it into the corpse. Maerwynn started sweating, grinding her teeth and groaning in pain and discomfort while still being unconscious. This went on for an entire night until the very first warm rays of sunshine peeked through the curtains. Maerwynn was exhausted and unable to move. There were huge bags under her eyes and her skin looked even paler than before. She got up out of bed and went upstairs to her bathroom where she washed her face and inspected herself in the mirror. When she came downstairs again, she saw that her bed was empty. She hastily looked around and saw the duchess standing in her kitchen, inspecting her cabinets. Maerwynn coughed and the woman turned around. Her brown curly hair waved lusciously when turning, and her pale skin had gotten a lively peachy gloss. Her sky-blue eyes were like aquamarines: bright, clear and incredibly blue. Her plump, heart-shaped lips had regained a healthy pink color and her cheeks were a natural rosy tint. The woman looked confused at first but smiled and walked towards Maerwynn. She stood before the doctor, being slightly shorter than her, with sparkling eyes.

“Hello missus! You must be the doctor who helped me. I must thank you for aiding me when all seemed so grim and hopeless. What is your name, if I may ask?”

The sudden familiarity surprised the doctor. She had never met someone like her before; so excited and lively, despite being dead. She took a slight step backwards, away from the woman and formally introduced herself:

“I am doctor Maerwynn Daemonne. Local doctor to all those who have the need and the means to hire me.”

The curly-haired woman bowed before the great doctor and in response introduced herself as well:

“I am Eleanore Sturmsgord, Duchess of Howelnburg, and wife of Alistair Wyesbright- oh, but you probably already knew that seeing as I had to get here somehow. Although I don’t remember how I got here actually, I was in bed and I fainted I think, then I have no memory anymore, haha! Oh, I’m rambling on again aren’t I? My apologies, I’m quite the talkative person.”

Baffled, the doctor stood there, staring at the duchess in perplexity. Never before in all the years on this planet had she met someone this energetic and cheerful. The words gushed out of her mouth like the water flowing from a waterfall. Her dazzling eyes stared right at Maerwynn’s, like they were staring through her soul. She couldn’t look her in the eyes anymore knowing that those pretty gemstones were dead, and thus the doctor walked around her towards the door, but before she could place her hand on the door handle she got stopped by a Eleanore’s voice asking:

“Hey, where are you going? What will you do?”

Maerwynn stopped and answered without turning around.

“Your husband. I will inform him that you have healed and you are ready to depart.”

“My husband… Alistair! Of course it was Alistair, who else would’ve brought me here? Alistair!”

She shouted happily as she ran past Maerwynn and opened the door. And there the noble prince stood, looking nervous as ever. When he looked at the open door where Eleanore was standing in its door frame, and his frown slowly turned into a smile.

“Eleanore…”

He whispered silently as tears welled up in his eyes out of happiness. Eleanore ran towards Alistair and jumped into his arms. Their arms were wrapped around each other as if they would never let go anymore.

“Oh Eleanore... I’m so glad your better. Whatever would I have done without you, my love? You have no idea how worried I was.”

He buried his face in her thick, curly hair as his hands couldn’t help but shiver ever so slightly out of fear. Maerwynn looked on with interest, she’d never seen such a pairing before; an arrogant, gloomy prince and a talkative, enthusiastic duchess. Although when she saw them holding each other like this, everything just seemed to fit one way or another. After a few more seconds of intense and intimate hugging, Maerwynn signed to the prince that he should come with her for a bit. The prince let go of his wife and went into the cabin with Maerwynn, leaving the princess alone to talk to the knight that the prince had brought along. She crossed her arms and promptly said:

“She may never know about this.”

“About what?”

Seemingly forgotten what the situation actually was, the prince seemed confused, and thus Maerwynn tried to remind him:

“She may never, _never_ , know that she _is_ in fact dead. If she ever figures out, I’ll reverse the revival immediately, do you understand?”

The prince was in no mood for talking back and silently nodded before returning outside. The group had some small talk and they all said their goodbyes to the doctor before they rode their horses over the open grassland and disappeared into the deep forest once again. This wouldn't be their last meeting.

 

* * *

 

Remembering this moment, Maerwynn taps her foot while waiting for a shriek of Envy to signal that they’re almost there. She stands up and walks to her bed, ready to take a nap, but before she can even lie down properly Envy shrieks his lungs out and flies back to the cabin. He flies inside to the open window and onto Maerwynn’s right hand shoulder as she grins.

“At last… he has arrived.”

She walks outside with Envy still on her shoulder, looking onto the open grassland where a man on a single horse carriage is heading towards her. His blonde hair waves with the wind as he rides pridefully towards the wooden cabin and thus Maerwynn knows immediately who it is. The carriage he’s riding is fairly small compared to the usual royal four-horse carriages he usually used. It was painted black with gold details painted on its side with the royal emblem shining in the afternoon sun. She can’t yet see what it contains, so she waits patiently in front of the cabin, petting the large black crow on her shoulder. The carriage takes a halt before Maerwynn and Prince Alistair jumps off of it. He dusts off his shoulders and she mockingly says:

“All alone I see? You didn’t want your reputation to be tarnished I bet.”

He scoffs and pets the neck of the beautiful white horse.

“It’s not about my reputation Maerwynn, I simply didn’t _allow_ anyone to come with me.”

He walks to the door of the carriage and opens it slowly and carefully. It opens towards Maerwynn, so she can’t see what it contains yet, but she reads the worrisome expression of the Prince and grins.

“Is it so dangerous? You didn’t bring a beast to kill me now did you?”

His hand is still on the carriage door, shivering a bit. Getting impatient, she walks behind the prince to look inside and as her eyes dwell on its contents, her eyes widen. Her gaze is drawn towards the large coffin that almost takes up all the space inside the carriage, it’s even larger than Maerwynn herself. It’s made of wood, painted black, and shut tight by at least five thick dark-red metal chains. It somehow almost invites her to touch it, to open it, to make it something. her lips almost move automatically when she says:

“What is it? Where does it come from?”

Full of curiosity she looks with widened sparkling eyes at Alistair. He rubs the back of his head as he looks down.

“Well… it was found in an old ruin in Howelnburg that hadn’t yet been explored. The experts think that it was probably a vendor of some sort. This coffin was found in the basement under all the debris, and neither swords nor axes could open these chains. That’s when Eleanore suggested to me that it might be something more eerie, perhaps sorcerous or even… demonic. That’s why I thought maybe you would be able to do something with this.”

She places her hand onto the coffin and strokes its hard wooden exterior. Fascinated by it she grabs ahold of one of the chains, after which it breaks into two. Alistair gasps and exclaims under his breath:

“H-How…?”

With glistening eyes she grabs every other chain one after another after which they all break and fall of the coffin. The prince is getting more and more nervous with every chain that’s broken, and when the last chain falls off onto the bottom of the carriage he hastily stops her from touching the coffin. He grabs her shoulder and restrains her as he utters assertively:

“Let’s… Let’s bring it inside first, Maerwynn.”

 

Hesitantly, pouting almost, she agrees and helps him bring it inside of her cabin. It’s quite heavy, and she guesses that it weighs about as much as or even more than she does. Inside, he hesitates about leaving, since even he is intrigued by the coffin that seemingly opened at merely a touch of Maerwynn’s fingers.

“I think I’ll stay for just a bit more, I just wanna see what’s inside.”

Maerwynn isn’t even paying attention to Alistair nor his words, all her focus is on the large black item in front of her. Her thin fingers glide over its surface before grabbing ahold of its door. It’s a smooth surface for being as old as it seems to be, and the paint is still very much in its place and doesn’t seem to have faded. She grabs the rim of the lid and opens it slowly and steadily. The blood-red trimming inside becomes visible and long black fibers start to emerge from inside. She opens it further, all the way, and as her eyes become fixated onto the precious gift she has been given, her mouth falls open into a big smile and Alistair gasps quietly. Passionately and thrillingly she whispers to herself:

“It’s... It’s magnificent.”

 

Inside the coffin, lying upright in the red satin trimming, stands a large human-like puppet. Its skin is painted a beautiful ivory with a flawless, almost porcelain complexion. Its face has a narrow heart-shaped structure, like that of a woman, but it was clearly masculine. Its thin yet full lips were a light pink shade, which are almost the same shade as its skin. Its pupils are mostly covered by half-closed eyelids with long black lashes, but its glossy red irises are clearly visible under the black lashy curtains. Thick, immensely long black locks of hair that emerge from his head cover most of its body, it reached all the way down to its knees. The thin masculine body stands with its arms lying rested on its hips in a serene position. Immediately she determines that the puppet is a male one, looking at its body and facial structure. He’s also made out of wood, thus the round joints that are his knees, elbows, ankles and other bodily junctures. It’s a beautifully crafted piece of wood for sure, it’s even mesmerizing, to the point where Maerwynn gets drawn closer and closer towards him. She brushes away his hair locks to take a better look at his body.  
She’s amazed, bewildered, there’s a passion growing deep inside of her that hadn’t been there before. She has forgotten even her surroundings, including prince Alistair who is almost as mesmerized as she is. Unintentionally, she lifts her hand slowly to touch him, to feel if it feels as beautiful as it looks. But when her hand touches the large chest that’s at her eye height, then puppet abruptly falls forward onto Maerwynn, making the both of them fall down on the hard wooden floor. Alistair snaps out of his trance-like state and picks up the large puppet off of her, which proves to be quite difficult as the puppet is as tall or even taller than the prince himself. He lays him down on the bed and extends a hand out to Maerwynn to help her upright. She accepts and pulls herself up with the help of his strong arm. She glances at the puppet on her bed, whose hair is spread out all over her sheets, to see that it’s alright. She sighs out of relief after confirming that he’s okay. She looks at Alistair and reluctantly bows in front of him.

 

 “I want to thank you, lord Alistair, for giving me this gift. I could not have expected anything better and I am forever indebted to you for this which you have given me.”

He gasps at the sight, never had he seen her act so polite and generous towards him, normally she’d treat him as a lowly peasant, but this was an abnormal occurrence.

“This… thing, must be of great value to you that you’re even bowing for me. Will you be able to use it properly?”

She stands upright and nods politely at him, even smiling a genuine smile.

“This will help my research and experiments tremendously, I had wanted a puppet like this for a long time. But one of this quality and this… beauty is extraordinary. You have my sincere gratitude.”

He grabs her right hands and kissed its back, as a sign of equivalent gratitude.

“This is for all that you have done for us, consider this gift to make our debt even.”

She nods as the prince gets ready to leave. She walks him outside the cabin to his carriage where she gives him a small blue elixir in a crystal-like bottle.

“Give this to Eleanore. Tell her to take one drop when she’s in pain, it’ll make her feel better.”

He nods and puts the elixir in the inner pocket of his royal blue coat.

“I’ll tell her. We, Maerwynn, shall see eachother again when the seasons have started a new cycle.”

He slaps the reins and the carriage turns around but stops before riding off definitively. The prince turns his head around and looks back at Maerwynn.

“Hey, what will you name it?”

He asks her out of interest. She puts her hand up to her chin and strokes her lower lip with her thumb while thinking, humming while doing so. Then she gasps and looks eagerly at prince Alistair.

“Luciel. From this day on, _his_ name shall be Luciel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the lovely Lise for proofreading again, you're the best! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Lise for proofreading and correcting spelling mistakes on this.  
> I hope you have enjoyed this and will continue to follow Maerwynn’s story as it’s far from over.
> 
> (If you have some time, check out caught_your_phancy as well, you won’t regret it.)
> 
> Thanks for reading! -Helena


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